Teaching Artists

07/09/2015

While I very much advocate for in-person professional development (college courses, Luna Dance Institute, and DEL, for example), sometimes an online option can provide information, tools, and inspiration. There is still time to apply and enroll for the Fall Term through the University of the Arts. Applications are due in late July.

02/02/2015

If you are a dance teaching artist and fan of websites like Edutopia and TED Talks, then check out Inspiration Lab. Inspiration Lab is a project of the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools). Lots of interesting projects are described on the site. I encourage you to browse for a few minutes.

The 1st Annual On/Line Teen Dance Film Festival is featured on the website. Click here to read more.

I used the self-publishing arm of Amazon - CreateSpace - to publish this book. I highly recommend it to other dancers who have a book with simple graphics. I used templates to help format the writing and to create a simple cover. With "on demand" publishing, copies of the book will get printed only when a book is ordered.

Dance Education Essentials is a must-have for dancers launching into teaching. Co-author Valerie Gutwirth and I share tips from our experience - getting jobs, caring for your body, money-related ideas, supplies for teaching, and much more.

07/02/2014

Doug Risner shared this information via email this week. I am reposting the same content here. To get placed on the email list for future updates, please email Doug directly at drisner@wayne.edu.

I am delighted to inform you that this new MA program has been approved by the university’s Board of Governors and we will be admitting our first cohort of students for the Fall 2015 semester.

Description: The three-year graduate program is offered in both a fully online format (at in-state tuition rate) and hybrid residency format. MA coursework includes foundations of pedagogy, artistic praxis, arts in human development, principles of teaching artistry, research methods, fieldwork, and teaching artist seminars (contemporary issues, career management, professional development). The degree is designed for working professionals in the field seeking a master's level education; therefore, the program is delivered on a part-time basis (6 credits per semester). The MA degree program is appropriate for educators and teaching artists seeking professional development through graduate study as well as for recent undergraduates in dance and theatre interested in rigorous preparation for careers in teaching artistry.

Admissions: Fifteen MA applicants will be admitted biennially for the fall semester (2015, 2017, 2019, and so on). Admission to the MA program is highly competitive and based on an applicant’s entire academic and artistic record. The stated requirements are minimum standards for consideration of an application. Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. In addition, applicants must have: at least a 3.0 (‘B’) grade point average and a minimum of fifteen semester credits in the area of specialization (theatre, dance, a related field, or some combination therein) is required. An undergraduate degree in dance or theatre is preferred.

Financial Aid: Financial support for tuition and other academic expenses for MA students is highly limited both at the university and department level. The vast majority of scholarships at the graduate level are awarded to doctoral students. However, masters-level graduate students may be eligible for Federal student loans. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid located assists students seeking financial assistance to attend Wayne State University.

What should you do if you’re interested in applying?

We anticipate that the online admission and application site will be available in January 2015. Until then there’s nothing you need to do. Because your name is on this email list, you will receive additional information as it becomes available. To learn more about the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre & Dance, click on the link below.

12/25/2013

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre & Dance at Wayne State University is presently in the final approval phase of a new MA in Teaching Artistry degree program. It is anticipated that the first cohort of students will be admitted for fall 2015. The three-year graduate program will be offered in both a fully online format (at in-state tuition rate) and hybrid residency format. MA coursework includes foundations of pedagogy, artistic praxis, arts in human development, principles of teaching artistry, research methods, and teaching artist seminars (contemporary issues and problems).

The degree is designed for working professionals in the field seeking a master's level education; therefore, the program is delivered on a part-time basis (6 credits per semester). The MA degree program is appropriate for K12 educators and teaching artists seeking professional development through graduate study as well as for recent undergraduates in dance and theatre interested in rigorous preparation for careers in teaching artistry.

11/11/2013

For dance teaching artists who do a lot of random groupings in classes, consider the .99 app Team Shake. After initially inputting student names, you can then easily make random groupings in a matter of seconds on your iPad.

09/02/2013

If you are a teacher who likes using word lists to inspire improv activities or short creative projects, consider using a website to make a visually interesting "word cloud" for your next class. There are numerous sites to build word clouds. Today I highlight the site Tagxedo. Use the site to build your word cloud, save it as a JPG on your computer, and then print out color copies to give the students.

Give yourself 15 minutes to explore the site and play around. Go to http://www.tagxedo.com/.

Then, here are the basic steps.

1. Click "Create."

2. Click on "Load." "Enter Text" to add what you want in your word cloud. Here is an example I made today of basic locomotor steps.

4. Click on the word "Shape" to alter the large shape the words will be in.

These word clouds are also simply visually interesting - post them in the studio. Gather words from your students and make word clouds as a form of reflection about a project, performance, or field trip. Students in middle school and high school can make their own word clouds to use for an upcoming choreographic project or as a reflection tool about your course, a performance, or a field trip.

08/25/2013

The Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, California is a magical, joyful place for young children. In the recent past, the Museum launched the Center for Childhood Creativity. I am very curious about this organization, its research, its events, and its website.

While I myself am still learning about the Center, it appears that local teaching artists as well as TAs around the United States will benefit from its activities. The Center hosts discussions, workshops, research, and web resources.

I suggest spending ten minutes on their website, including their excellent reading list of books about creativity, play, and education.

07/04/2013

I have the ArtsJournal website on my bookmarks bar. I love checking out the website once or twice a week. This website is a great gathering place of articles about professional dance from around the globe. Articles come from The Guardian, New York Times, regional newspapers, and online sources.

Email Lists: Dancers' Group, Dance/USA, and the California Arts Council

I have paid for a membership to Dancers' Group and Dance/USA and receive their wonderful, comprehensive emails each week. Dancers' Group is the San Francisco Bay Area's service organization. Their weekly email includes information about jobs, auditions, performances, workshops, and relevant articles. Likewise, for the national scene, Dance/USA creates weekly emails with job postings, grant information, and thought provoking articles.

Each Friday I also take a quick read of the California Arts Council's artbeat e-newsletter for a pulse on the arts scene in the state.

As a Dance Teaching Artist.....

To support my work as a dance teaching artist, I am a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Its email list announces jobs but also is a venue to pose a question and receive responses from fellow educators around the country.

I also have the Edutopia website bookmarked on my computer. This site is geared towards K-12 educators, but much of the content applies to our teaching work. Edutopia also has a fair amount of articles on arts in education as well.

As a busy artist and educator, these websites and email lists are gifts of information. It is, now, more a matter taking the time to read on a regular basis about the field.

Which websites, email lists, blogs, etc. are on your weekly reading list? Write in at randalldanceprojects@gmail.com.

04/18/2013

I just found out about this site that prints postcard quality Instagram photos. Some ideas are rolling here....this idea is for dance teachers and artists.

This is not an original idea here, but an idea that I love and have used in my teaching for years. When I was a teenager taking classes one summer at North Carolina School of the Arts, a teacher pulled out a stack of postcards. We used the postcards, and the images on them, as springboards for a composition activity. Now, many years later, I keep my own collection of postcards on hand for teaching - whether they are photographs or art postcards.

The Origrami site will print your artsy Instagram photos. Check it out!

Use the postcards in classes with students in elementary school, middle school, high school, and college courses.